partners
EUROTRAINING Educational Organization
Its main objective is to bridge the gap between labour market demand and offer, thus its services are highly adaptive to reflect the constantly changing circumstances. At the core of its activities, EURO strives for inclusive education, particularly caring for people in vulnerable positions, through its participation in both national and EU-funded Projects. Long before COVID-19, the organisation had already incorporated a variety of digital tools in its training offers, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their place of residence within the country, is able to attend courses. Today, EURO is considered a leading VET centre in terms of digital transformation of education and training, since its innovative methods are widely recognised at national and European level. The organisation’s impact on Greece’s VET sector is to a large extent due to the wide variety of training offers developed and provided (EQF levels 3-5). Course topics include: informatics and IT science, business management and entrepreneurship, environmental science and energy, tourism and hospitality services, educational science, and others. It also provides tailor made courses for professionals, including training for adult trainers, seminars on food hygiene and safety, and training for Data Protection Officers.
KAUNOTECHNOLOGIJOS Universitetas
It is one of the top universities in Lithuania in many directions of scientific research and studies. KTU is ranked among the top 4% of world universities. By integrating education, research, and business, KTU focuses its activities on the enhancement of the quality of human life and the acceleration of statehood development. The KTU offers a broad range of study programmes in arts and humanities, electrical and electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, materials engineering, architecture, life sciences, economics, and business. KTU PhD studies are provided in 4 scientific areas in 17 scientific directions. Research at KTU is carried out by around a thousand academic staff in 9 faculties and 10 research institutes. One of KTU’s key priorities is to maintain synergy with local businesses. Hence, KTU provides support to solve real-life problems, and contributes to 70 % of all R&D provided by Lithuanian universities for business and industry. The university publishes 5 scientific journals from the data base ‘Clarivate Analytics Web of Science’. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design is the only one in Lithuania that offers studies in textile engineering. KTU is a member of AUTEX and the Lithuanian Apparel and Textile Industry Association (LATIA). As a member of LATIA, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design has several individual cooperation agreements each year in the field of R&D and education for SME’s. Several projects financed by EU, Lithuanian Government or industrial companies are generated each year. Innovative learning methods, such as project-based learning, case study, e-learning, coaching and mentoring, practice, internships, and visits to textile and clothing factories, are used in KTU. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design has 70 years of experience in the development of new study modules, short-term and long term study programs for HEI, post-secondary VET and SME employees working in the textile and fashion industry.
CHIMAR (HELLAS) SA
CHIMAR serves industries all around the world since 1977. Its technology is protected via patent families and trade-secrets and has been applied via licensing agreements in numerous industrial facilities in over 40 countries. Today, the particleboard and MDF panels produced using CHIMAR technology and services account for over 10% of the annual global production, while CHIMAR estimated market share in wood adhesive technology market is equal to 33% on a global level. CHIMAR R&D focuses on the development of human-safe and environmentally friendly products and technologies, meeting the most stringent requirements worldwide and promoting the sustainability of its industry field.
CENTRO TECNOLÓGICO DAS INDUSTRIAS TÊXTIL E DO VESTUÁRIO DE PORTUGAL
CITEVE has 600 associated companies and more than 2000 active customers. CITEVE’s main activities are technology transfer, laboratorial analysis, IPR information, training, technical and vocational secondary education, certification & standardisation activities, and R&D activities at national and European level. CITEVE has 149 specialised staff, covering all business areas and specific technical demands of the textile & clothing sector, like the Training and Education Area where we have 15 workers and more that 100 apprentices per day. CITEVE’s mission is to support the technical and technological development of the textile & clothing industry, promoting innovation and inducing new capacities and new competences as well as helping define industrial public policies. Since April 2017, CITEVE is the managing authority of the Portuguese Textile Cluster strengthening the engagement and cooperation with the T&C value chain. The Cluster’s mission is to enhance the capacity of the consolidated economic aggregate around the textile business. Portuguese Textile Cluster is officially recognized by the Portuguese Government as the entity responsible for managing and promoting the development, innovation and competitiveness of the T&C value chain. CITEVE is recognized mainly for its training in the Textile and Clothing Sector, but also for the role it plays in the regions where it is located, namely the local population, the institutional networks and the intersectoral business. In the scope of Vocational Training, CITEVE has the capacity to perform diagnosis of training needs, planning of training actions or activities; design of programmes, instruments and training materials; organisation and promotion of training actions or activities; development/ implementation of training actions or activities and monitoring and evaluation of training actions or activities. CITEVE has been very active in key areas for the textile sector, such as industry 4.0 and sustainability & circular economy.
ASSOCIAÇÃO TÊXTIL E VESTUÁRIO DE PORTUGAL
We have around 500 companies as members, representing 35.000 jobs, 3 billion € of turnover and 2 billion € of exports. Our three-step mission is: 1/ To gather textile, clothing and fashion companies, empowering their claims and giving high visibility to their legitimate interests. 2/ To defend companies, company owners and their expectations, fostering the necessary conditions for an environment that values competitiveness and growth. 3/ To provide useful and customized services by giving information, advice and helping decision-making. To fulfil the needs of its members, ATP provide varied and personalized services, in areas such as: labour, tax, commercial, civil and competition law, European Community law, international trade, national and international statistics, incentive systems, internationalization, sustainability, quality, R & D, energy, professional training, commercial information, textile and fashion fairs, among others.
NEVROKOPSKA PROFESIONALNA GIMNAZIYA DIMITAR TALEV
The school was opened in 1965 and has established itself as the largest vocational school in the area of Gotse Delchev, Bulgaria. Of the 11,187 graduates, many have continued their professional growth in higher education. During the 2022/2023 school year more that 800 students in 31 classes will be trained in the following professions: Organizer of travel agency activity, Operational accountant, Economist-informatics, Computer systems technician, Electrician, Designer-technologist of clothing, Economist, Automated system technician. Since 2018/2019, the professional Fashion designer – clothing technologist course provides professional knowledge and skills, also through internships, with extended language training. Four foreign languages are studied – English, French, German and Russian. The teaching staff of 62 is highly qualified and with many years of experience, while the non-pedagogical staff of 21 ensure high quality vocational training and education. A good indicator of this is the high percentage of students who have acquired a professional qualification and are successful in the market.
PIRIN-TEX EOOD
With its nearly 1100 employees it produces high-quality men’s and ladies’ outerwear (suits, jackets, trousers, coats waistcoats, shirts) for prominent European fashion brands. The daily production capacity of the company is around 2000 pcs. The production facilities of the company are located in the town of Gotse Delchev in southwestern Bulgaria. Beside its core activity, PIRIN-TEX is also active in various sustainability fields such as waste management, energy and resource efficiency, constant improvement of labour conditions, etc. The company has its own IT department which develops industry-specific software applications for the management of various intra-company processes, as well as for the monitoring and controlling of energy consumption. PIRIN-TEX ran (in the period 2011 – 2018) its own in- house vocational school based on the dual system of vocational training, which prepared young people aged 16-21 for work in the garment industry. In addition to this, the company cooperates with a local professional high school as well as with a number of local and foreign universities.
CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS AEG ARROKA SL
We have 29 teachers and 250 students in VET and as many in other forms of education such as Long-life learning and courses for the unemployed. We offer VET courses in 4 areas: 1. Computer Science (Network Administrators and Developers) 2. Business Administration and Finance 3. Marketing 4. Fashion (Fashion Design and Costume design). We are part of a network of 25 other VET schools in the Basque Country (AICE). We have 25 years of experience in European mobility for our students and projects with European schools, all within the Erasmus+ programme. AEG takes part in other local and national projects connected with innovation and sustainability, especially in the textile area, entrepreneurship for our students (EntreComp project with Norwegian, Italian and French partners) and other collaborations with the Ideas Factory Balab, which is our laboratory for developing sustainable fibres and 3D printing.
CONFEDERACIÓN DE LA INDUSTRIA TEXTIL ASOCIACIÓN
Founded in November 2010, it is the result of the merger of the four main textile trade associations in Spain. Located in Catalonia, Texfor becomes the main Textile organization in Spain grouping companies of the whole textile value chain, from yarns to fabrics including accessories, finishing processes, printing and dying for the apparel industry, home textiles and technical/industrial applications. The organization’s mission is to serve associated companies, giving them optimal solutions to become competitive in the global market, based in Texfor’s specialization and experience as well as the textile ecosystem created: University and Vocational Training, Financial, Cross-Sectoral Inputs, Specialized Services. We are focused in three main pillars, Research and Innovation, Markets and Statistics, and Sustainability and Circular Economy as well as the transversal area of training and skills. Texfor members are active in producing everything from yarns to fabrics including accessories, apparel industry, home textiles and technical/industrial applications.
CEDECS-TCBL
It was founded in 1987 as an IT start-up specialised in e-learning solution development for SMEs. At its beginning, under the name of CEDECS and in close collaboration with a Greek start-up, Dialogos Ltd on one side and ATOS group in France, it has been involved in many EU projects targeting innovation development in SMEs and in different types of industries, especially through e-learning and other ICT application development, setting support networks and infrastructures for SMEs and carrying out studies on the adoption and implementation of ICT. Since 2004 CEDECS-TCBL has been working mainly for the Textile and Clothing sector, starting as a subcontractor of IFTH (Institut Français du Textile Habillement) in charge of European projects, handling R&D projects dealing with R&D roadmaps, the Textile European Technology Platform, HR knowledge and know-how capture, valorization and transfer, as well as with training and sustainable development consultancy provision. Since 2012, CEDECS-TCBL has been working with a wide network of Euro-Mediterranean Fashion, Textile and Clothing actors and has coached start-up entrepreneurs in various fields and countries (in Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Palestine, Sweden and Tunisia) and has participated in a lot of projects with a special emphasis on sustainability challenges, innovation clusters and ecosystem development, and regional innovation policies. In March 2020 CEDECS Ltd became CEDECS-TCBL SAS to develop, with new shareholders, the commercial exploitation of the results of a H2020 project (tcbl.eu): its platform supports a networks of labs and SMEs involved in innovative and sustainable T&C business models and solution development. CEDECS-TCBL groups 20 multinational (11 nationalities) and multidisciplinary shareholders who provide their expertise in the different projects in which CEDECS-TCBL is involved.
CENTEXBEL CENTRE SCIENTIFIQUE & TECHNIQUE DEL’INDUSTRIE TEXTILE BELGE ASBL
CTB offers a complete range of standardized testing, it is a notified body for protective clothing and can deliver CE certification and testing. CTB is also involved in standardization committees and offers technological advice and training to companies in Belgium and abroad. Via a take-over of the “Flemish Plastic Centre” its expertise and services have been diversified towards the plastic and composite industry. The research focus of CTB is on applied research, funded by private contract as well as national and international agencies (e.g. Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020, Life, Eranet). Some well selected subjects for strategic research are sustainable and circular value chains, biobased materials and recycling technologies.
NOVEL GROUP SARL
Realising the rising challenges in the field of digital transformation, Novel offers integrated solutions that are built on the basis of constant communication and interaction with the client throughout the whole process; from the needs-analysis phase, to the development of the product/service, and its launch to the audience. Particular focus in placed on two meaningful issues: facilitating accessibility for all (including people with visual or/and hearing impairment), ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations for the protection of personal data and privacy. Among others, Novel holds great experience in web design and development, digital education solutions (e-learning, m-learning, etc.), application development, needs analysis, quality Control and Evaluation, graphic design (logos, templates, promotional material, etc.), and dissemination and Sustainability Strategy.
